IEARN◦Places and Perspectives Learning Circle 1 (High School)

New Yearin different countries

 NEW YEAR INMOLDOVA

TH.L " V. ALECSANDRI"MOLDOVA

Student:Buga VictoriaTeacher:Grusca Dumitru

MOLDOVA HAS A UNIQUE CULTURE, RICH IN HOLIDAYS, CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS. SHAPED BY HISTORY,

CUSTOMS AND TRADITIONS HAVE EMERGED FROM THE COMBINATION OF RUSSIAN, UKRAINIAN, AND OTHER

INFLUENCES WITH LOCAL MOLDOVAN KNOWLEDGE. FOR EXAMPLE, IN MOLDOVA IT IS CUSTOMARY TO GREET

GUESTS WITH HOME-BAKED BREAD, A PINCH OF SALT AND A GLASS OF WINE.

HOLIDAYS IN MOLDOVA ARE CELEBRATED THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, HOWEVER THE MOST IMPORTANT HOLIDAYS ARE DURING WINTER ARE IN STRONG CONNECTION TO

THE ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN RELIGION.

New Year and Christmas in Moldova

The entire world is excited about coming winter holidays! Moldova isn’t an exception. So, Moldavians are also happy to Christmas and New Year. Moldova is also preparing to this great holidays!December is crazy month as everyone goes shopping trying to find the best gifts for close people, friends and relatives. Children often make greeting cards for their parents. People decorate their houses, trees… At this time holidays are not only in the minds but also in the air. In Chisinau, the capital city, there are many Santa Clauses. In Moldova children call Santa Claus “Ded Moroz” (i.e. Grandpa Frost). These Santas greet children in the shops, theatres, and just on the streets, everywhere. So, children are the most excited! However these all is preparing… The main event still follows!Unlike many other countries Moldova celebrates rather Christmas than New Year. So, the whole country has a great holiday in the night of 31st December. This is the night when people wait for 12 pm and right in the midnight they altogether drink sparkling wine. There's a tradition of putting little papers with different wishes inside placinte (traditional Moldovan food. It's something like cake with filling). When you eat placinte you read what's written on those papers and that is what waits for you in New Year.Children are more excited at 1st January morning. This is the time when they find their gifts under New Year tree. They believe the gifts where left by Ded Moroz. Usually all the day they tell to everybody what a great surprise was waiting for them under New year tree! They always wonder how did Ded Moroz managed to bring gifts to all children in one single night!Christmas is celebrated on 7th January. However, unfortunately, this holiday isn't widely celebrated inside the country. Usually just old people celebrate it and all others just have free day. Some people this day go to their grandparents.After Christmas winter holidays in Moldova are over and all the people start their everyday life in the New Year.

Winter Holidays

Winter is notorious for the multitude of traditions and holidays. On the 6th of December we celebrate St. Nicholas – marking the opening of the cold season. A children’s favorite, on the night of St. Nicholas sweets or gifts are left inside their shoes, but only if they behaved throughout the year and have always kept their shoes clean.In Moldova, Christmas is celebrated according to two different calendars: the old (still followed in Russia) and the new orthodox calendar (followed in Romania); therefore, some families celebrate on the 25th of December, while the majority of the population still celebrate Christmas on the 7th of January. On Christmas Eve, children, but also adults, go door-to-door to announce the birth of Christ. They usually sing carols accompanied by mini plays, for which they are rewarded with sweets or money.On New Year’s Eve, children will again go door-to-door to offer warm greetings, wishing a Happy New Year, prosperous and beautiful achievements; and they are rewarded with sweets or other goodies.

Happy New Year in Moldova...

New Year in Belarus

by Tanya TarasenkoAnd Alesya Truhan

Mogilev Secondary School №8

New Year in Mogilev

New Year in Minsk

Belarusian Father Frost lives in Belovezhskaya Pushcha

 NEW YEAR INROMANIA

Traditions and habits for the New Year’s EveIn every place we find the night which makes the transition between years, must be aware that each has certain superstitions hard in part and traditions related to the New Year.

Romania, according to tradition, the Romanians in the New Year should make as much noise to ward off all evil spirits.Some Romanians go even further and use to keep in a pocket garlic , loaf, which is meant to protect them from evil spirits.

Another superstition New Year is that both the last day of the year, and the first day of the new is better not to spend money and not take anything from the house (including garbage) because, once he throws out of Home Luck.

And that all comes to money, there is the superstition that people should not have any debt when the new year begins. Otherwise, they will owe the full year.

Also, a well-known superstition says that the first person to cross the threshold of the house on the first day of the year will affect us all year. Traditionally, people with red or blond hair bring bad luck while the brunette brings good luck. Also, if the first person to enter the house is male, the year will be full of luck, whereas if women enter first, it will be full of bad luck.

Elders say that the passage of the years is good that everyone wear a new garment but something red or another color dishes to attract all the positive energy. Moreover, in the New Year people are not allowed to sleep, and those who resist will not be sleepy all year. Another tradition says that New Year's Eve must always have in my pocket a few grains of wheat, to be free from hunger all year. Also, you must have money in your pocket and that the new year will not get you poor.

Among the most beautiful customs that Romanians have in the New Year but also the first day of the new year, carols play an important role. Among them really need to remember Sorcova and Plugușorul.

Romanians tend to consume fish in the night of the New Year’s Eve, in order to ensure a smooth and easy transition in the coming year. On the other hand, poultry is the bringer of bad luck. This is because birds brief dig the earth and spread it, which correlated with prosperity and good scattering of the house.

Project made by:

◦ Constantin Codrin◦ Gherman Andrei◦ Moldovan Andreea◦ Tișe Denisa

from „Avram Iancu” High School Cluj-NapocaRomaniateacher: Dana Liana Vaida

New Year traditions and customs in Russia

New Year is a wonderful holiday. It is celebrated everywhere and Russia is no exception. It begins with preparation. People put up New Year’s trees and decorate them with toys, garlands, balls and ribbons.

There are many New Year customs and traditions. The table is full of food. People believe that the richer the table,

the more prosperity in the coming year. It is believed that on the New Year’s table there must be poultry or rabbit. It attracts happiness to the house. It is considered that you should meet New Year wearing new clothes. You will wear new dress the whole year. Before the New Year you should forget grudges and forgive people.

On the New Year’s eve you should wash the house , windows and mirrors, get rid of old unnecessary things, throw away broken dishes.

Everyone at midnight makes a wish. There are many different customs. The most difficult is to catch a minute to write a wish on paper burn it, throw the ashes into a champagne glass and drink.

There is another New Year ritual by which people could make predictions about their health in the coming year. On the New Year’s eve you should freeze water in a spoon, and if where are bubbles,

you will have good health, and the hole in the center means diseases.

Now the New Year is, above all, fun, partying all night, and fireworks. In the old days during the New Year celebrations people used some devices making noise and screamed, it was believed that it

scared away evil spirits. So our modern firecrackers and fireworks in some way can also be considered as a ritual for expelling evil spirits

Another integral tradition of the New Year is giving gifts. By the way, in Russia there was a tradition to give gifts to Father Frost

to appease him. But now everyone is waiting for gifts from Father Frost himself. In pre-revolutionary Russia Father Frost put presents in the socks, and then put them under the New Year’s tree. Now you can

give gifts in different ways, in every family, I guess there is some sort of tradition for the presentation of gifts.

People began to abandon the heavy dishes and mayonnaise. But to open a bottle of "Soviet champagne" this is a must. With the TV and rich new year table, people stopped arranging New Year’s contests and dancing. A large table replaced this tradition.

It has become very popular to invite Father Frost and the Snow Maiden to our home, they congratulate children. Another New Year’s tradition, which is over 70 years old is the President's address to the nation on the new year's night. For the first time it was possible in 1935 when the radio was invented. But no matter how varied New Year’s traditions and customs are the New Year has always been and will always be a special celebration full of magic and wonders.

Happy New Year!Project made by Komarov AlexandrSungatullina DinaraMalmyzh Lyceum Russia